Knockdown display rack



Aug. 5, 1941. YQHNs 2,251,814

KNO CKDOWN DISPLAY RACK Filed Feb. 17, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 v In.venTor. Poul Yohn's Aug. 5, 1941. o Ns 2,251,814

KNOCKDOWN DISPLAY RACK Filed Feb. 17, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 lnvenror. Pou! Yo h ns b /mmm ATTys.

Aug. 5, 1941. P. YOHNS KNOCKDOWN DISPLAY RACK Filed Feb. 17, 1940 sSheets-Sheet 5 Fig.8.

gg g.

lnvenToT. Paul Yo h n s ATTys.

Patented Aug. 5, 1941 KNOCKDOWN DISPLAY RACK Paul Yohns, Boston, Mass,assignor to Rust Craft Publishers, Inc., Boston, Mass, a corporation ofMassachusetts Application February 17, 1940, Serial No. 319,374

5 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in dis-- play racks of thecharacter used to exhibit greeting cards, illustrated postcards, artcards, photographs, and other light articles, and the object of theinvention is to provide a display rack of this character which can beeconomically constructed and which will effectively retain a largenumber of such articles in such position that they can be readilyinspected and easily removed from the rack.

A further object of the invention is to provide a knock-down displayrack of the character specilied having a shelf section preferably formedof a thin sheet of tough foldable material, such as a good quality ofpaper-board, folded transversely to form a series of parallelreceptacles in suitably spaced relation, each having a wide back wall, abottom wall extending forwardly therefrom pref erably at substantiallyright angles thereto and a relatively narrower front wall connected by afold to the upper end of the contiguous back Wall of the next lowerreceptacle and so secured thereto as rigidly to reenforce the shelfstructure.

A further object of the invention is to provide a knock-down displayrack having inwardly foldable shelf-supporting end sections to provide aconstruction which can be wrapped or otherwise enclosed to provide apackage of minimum size for shipment or which may be stored in a smallspace when not in use.

These and other objects and features of the invention will more fullyappear from the following description and the accompanying drawings andwill be particularly pointed out in the claims.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a knock-down display rack of thecharacter specified showing the shelf section slightly raised from thesupporting base frame to illustrate the relation of the parts of thedisplay rack;

Fig. 2 is a viewof the display rack shown in Fig. 1, mainly in verticaltransverse section, certain portions of the shelf-supporting mechanismbeing shown in elevation;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the supporting mechanism showing in full linesfoldable end supporting members or wings in vertical shelf-supportingposition and illustrating a foldable central supporting member also inelevation and illustrating in dotted lines the relative position of theend and central supports or wings when in folded position; and,

Fig. 4 is a front: elevation in-=inverted position 1 showing therelative positions of the bottom and Wings of the sup-porting frame whenin folded position;

Fig. 5 is a perspective View of a preferred simplified knock-downdisplay rack construction embodying the invention;

Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 5, portionsof the end being broken away and details of construction being shown invertical section;

Fig. 7 is an underside plan View of the display rack shown in Figs. 5and 6 when in knockeddown position;

Fig. 8 is a rear view of the display rack when in normal position;

Fig. 9 is a rear View of the display rack when in knocked-down position;

Fig. 10 is an enlarged detail View on line lll I] Fig. 6, vieweddownwardly, illustrating the construction of the end supports andreenforcing bar, and in planthe means forming an interlocking connectionbetween the base and end-supporting members;

Fig. 11 is an enlarged detail view showing the construction of one oftheend plates and the manner in which a supporting portion thereof may befolded to knocked-down position; and,

Fig. 12 is a sectional view on line |2-l2 Fig. 10.

In the particular embodiments of the invention shown in Figs. 1-4 theshelf section comprises preferably, but not necessarily, a singlesheet-.of thin stiff, but foldable, material, such as paper-board, ofany suitable length, the upper end I of which is secured to andpreferably wrapped about at least'two sides of a transverse supportingbar 2 of wood or other suitable material. The sheet is folded alongparallel lines to provide a series of receptacles having a back wall 3,a bottom wall 4 desirably extending at right angles to the back wall,and a relatively narrow front wall 5.

The sheet is so folded thatthe upper end of the front wall 5 presents asmooth rounded edge 6- which will not scratch or mar the cards orarticles when removed from or introduced into the receptacle. The rearface of the back wall 3 of the next lower receptacle is contiguous tothe outer face of the front wall 5 and is secured thereto in anysuitable manner as by a series of staples 1; Each succeeding lowerreceptacle desirably is formed in the same manner. The shelf section maythus be formed to provide any desired number of receptacles and thesheet may be so folded as to provide a seriesof receptaclesof 'thesameheight,- depth'and-size orof of light weight and of sufiicient width toformv closures for the ends of the receptacles and attached to said endsin any suitable manner. In the particular constructions illustrated theedges of the folded sheet are provided with suitable slits and recessesto provide extendedportions adapted to be folded at right anglesto theplanes of the respective walls of the receptacles, thereby providingtabs H extending from the ends of the back and front walls and similartabs IZeXtending from the ends of the bottom walls adapted to engage andbe secured to the end plates l9 by suitable fastenings such as staples[3 and/or glue. The shelf section thus constructed may be supported in asuitably inclined position by the lower reenforcing bar 9 and by,triangular end members preferably so made as to be folded into a minimumspace for packaging or storage.

In the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 the shelf-supportingmechanism comprises a frame having a flat bottom or base l4 desirably offibreboard, or other suitable stiff light material having at its endshinged members or wings which can be raised to upright position orfolded closely upon the base M. In this construction rectangular,preferably wooden, bars 15 are hingedly secured to the base in proximityto the ends thereof in any suitable manner as,

for example, by strips of flexible paper-board,

or other fibrous material, folded to provide a horizontal section itoverlying and secured to the bar I5 throughout substantially its fulllength, a vertical section I! engaging and secured to the inner verticalface of the bar l5, and a horizontal section l3 secured to the bottom orbase. M.

The end-supporting members l9 are securedby staples or other penetratingfasteners to, and extend upwardly'when in normal position from,,theouter faces of the bars l5. Suitable uprights, 29, preferably in theform of square woodenbars similar to the bars 15," are connectedv attheir, lower ends to the bars i and extend vertically-along the rearedges of f the respective triangular wings and may terminate short ofthe upper ends thereof.

Any suitable means may be provided for confective means which isillustrated in the accompanying drawing comprises studs, such as screws2| mounted in the end portions of the transverse bar adapted detachablyto seat in suitable bores or sockets 22 extending downwardly from the 1central portion of the upper ends of the uprightsZfl.

The area of the triangular end supports'desirably is such as to permitthem to be folded in close proximity and parallelism with th base orbottom [4 without interference for 1 shipment and storage.

.It has; heretofore been stated that the bars base. Desirably they areso positioned that when th end supports or wings, which are secured tothem, are in vertical position the outer faces of the wings will beflush with the ends of the base, thereby producing a neat appearance.

A further feature of the invention consists in providing a centralsupport for the shelf section which can be conveniently folded down uponthe base beneath and parallel to said end wings,

so that it will not require any additional space when the supportingframe is folded for ship'- ment or storage. In the particularconstruction-s illustrated a rectangular bar 23, which 1 desirably is ofsomewhat smaller depth than the bars I5, is hingedly secured to the baseby a foldable fibreboard strip 24 in the manner heretofore describedwith respect to the hinging of the end bars l5, and has secured to itsproper side a triangular sheet 25, of suitable light stiff material suchas fibreboard, having its upper edge provided with notches complementaryto and adapted to engage the under faces of the bottom walls 5 andpreferably also the under facesof the back walls 3 of the receptacles.

When therefore the central support is in vertical position it willreenforce the central portions of the receptacles and prevent thesagging of the receptacles even when supporting a very considerableweight.

It will be obvious that the knock-down display rack constructed, asshown in Figs. 1 to 4, can be very quickly and easily assembled as it ismerely necessary to swing the end wing members from knock-down positionillustrated in clotted lines in Fig. 3 into vertical relation relativelyto the base and also to swing the central support vertically asillustrated in full lines in Fig. 3, and thereupon to set the shelfsection upon the frame by resting the lower transverse bar of the shelfsection upon a base and lowering the upper transverse bar in such manneras to cause the studs 2| to enter the sockets 22 in the upper ends oftheuprights. After assembly the display rack may at any time be knockeddown for storage or shipment by obvious reverse opera- A simplified andpreferred construction is illustrated in Figs. 5-12 of the drawingswhich differs from the construction shown in Figs. 1-4 mainly in thatthe triangular wing members, which support the shelf section in inclinedrelation, are formed integral with and hingedly connected to the endplates in such manner as to fold inwardly against the under side of theshelf section and in that the base is hingedly con-' nected to the lowerreenforcing bar of the shelf section with interlocking means upon thebase of the wing sections for maintaining them in vertical positionswhen the display rack is in erected position.

In the preferred construction illustrated in Figs. 5-12 inclusive theshelf section is formed in the manner above described from a thin sheetof stiff foldable material, such as paper-board, of any suitable length,folded transversely to form a series of parallel receptacles in suitablestepped relation, each having a back wall, a bottom wall, and a'frontwall narrower than the back wall having its upper end connected by afold with the upper end of the contiguous back wall of the next lowerreceptacle and stapled thereto, the ends of each of the receptacle wallsbeing provided with tabs which are secured by staples, or other suitableconnection,

to the end plate sections and the same numerals are employed todesignate like parts shown and board as illustrated in Fig. 11. Thebodies ofv these triangular sheets are provided with scores or slits29which sever the outer sheet 28 and. the body 28 but do not sever theinner facing sheet 2'1. The slits 29 extend in parallelism with theupper edge or hypotenuse of the triangular end plates, thereby'providingend sections 19 of generally rectangular form similar to those abovedescribed, and also providing triangular wings 30 integral with theplate sections but adapted to be folded inwardly at right angles theretoas shown in Figs. 7-11. Similar slits 3! are made through the outerfacing and bodyof the wingv sections, but not through the inner facing,as shown in Fig. 9, ashort distance from and in parallelism with thebase of the wings and the lower end portions of the wingsthen bentinwardly to provide supports 32 for the base of the display rack.

Desirably the vertical rear edge portions of the triangular wings arereenforced by vertical bars 33, of wood or other suitable material,which extend upwardly from the base supports 32 to the score lines 29.The base 34 may be of any suitable material but preferably isformed ofthick fibreboard of rectangular form and of substantially the same widthas the length of the infolded ends 32,. of the wings and is hinged alongits front edge to the horizontal reenforcing member 9 of the shelfsection.

Any suitable hinge construction may be employed but preferably the hingeis formed by a strip 35 of tough cloth which is glued or otherwiseadhesively secured to the under face of the lower reenforcing bar 9 ofthe shelf 01' to the sheet of paper-board forming a continuation of theshelf which is preferably partially wrapped around the reenforcing bar9. The rear end of the base is provided with short rectangular notches36 adapted to engage locking members 31 preferably of inwardly turnedextensions of the wings at the lower edges thereof secured by nails orotherwise to the inner faces of the vertical reenforcing bars of thewings. By reason of this construction the wings and base are lockedtogether in such a manner that when the display rack is erected lateralmovement of the lower ends of the wings will be effectively prevented sothat the erected display rack is of rigid construction.

In order further to support the weight of the shelf sectionsintermediate of its length a foldable supplemental supporting member isinterposed between the base and the under side of the shelf section of acharacter similar to the central support 25 heretofore described. In theconstruction shown in Figs. -12, however, the central support, which maybe placed at any desirable position between the end wing-s, comprises asheet of fib-reboard 38 provided with a facing or facings of toughflexible material, such as paper-board, and slit through the body of thesheet, but not the flexible facing, a short distance from and parallelwith the lower edge of the sheet 38 to provide a narrow strip 39.

'Ihenarrowstrip thus partially severed is secured:

by; staples orotherwise to the base member, so that the supplementalsupport is adapted to swing downwardly into engagement with the base orto be raised to vertical position. The upper edge or hypotenuse of thesheet 35,;is provided with notches complementary to. and. adapted toengage the under faces of the bottom wall andpreferably also the underfaces of. the back walls of the receptacles as heretofore described. Thesupplemental supports 36 may be. reenforced by a vertical bar or bars Mlprefera ably of wood or other light material.

Desirably suitable means are provided forv detachably locking thesupplemental support in vertical position. In the preferred constructiontabs M and 42 are punched downwardly from the base of one of thereceptacles, preferably the uppermost, in such manner as to lie oneither side of the supplemental supporting member-when it is in erectposition, the tabs being so constructed and positioned that one of themmay be bent upwardly into the, plane of the bottom of the receptacle topermit the supplemental support to be folded downwardly upon the base.as above described.

When it is desired to knock. down a display rack shown in Figs. 5-12,from the position illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 to that shown in Figs. 7and 9, it is merely necessary to release the tab 41 and swing thesupplemental supporting member downwardly. into engagement with thebase. The base 34 may then be swung upwardly against the under side ofthe shelf member and the wings 30 folded inwardly, as illustrated inFigs. 7 and 9, so that the kocked-down shelf Will occup a minimumspaceand can be readily wrapped or placed in asuitable carton forstorage or shipment.

It will be understood that the particular embodiments of the inventionshown and described herein are of an illustrative character and notrestrictive, and that various changes in form, construction andarrangement of parts may be made within the spirit and scope of thefollowing claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A knock-down display rack having a shelf section comprising a sheetof suitable flexible material folded to form a series of steppedreceptacles and having end plates secured thereto forming closures forthe ends of said receptacles, transverse reenforcing bars connected tothe upper and lower ends of said sheet, a horizontal base hinged to thelower transverse bar adapted to be folded against the under side of saidshelf section and normally vertical supporting wings hinged to saidshelf section having at their rear edges uprights provided with lockingmeans releasably to engage said base and adapted to be folded inwardlyinto contact with said base when the latter is folded against the shelfsection.

2. A knock-down display rack having a shelf section comprising a sheetof suitable flexible material folded to form a series of steppedreceptacles and having end plates secured thereto forming closures forthe ends of said receptacles, transverse reenforcing bars connected tothe upper and lower ends of said sheet, a base hinged to the lowertransverse bar adapted to be folded against the under side of said shelfsection and normally vertical supporting wings hinged to said latter isfolded against the shelf sections, and

interlockingmeans on said wings and base for maintaining said wings invertical position.

3. A knock-down'display rack having a shelf section comprising a sheetof suitable flexible material folded to form a series of steppedreceptacles and having end plates secured thereto forming closures forthe ends of said receptacles, transverse reenforcing bars connected tothe upper and lower ends of said sheet, a. base hinged to the lowertransverse bar adapted to be folded against the under side of said shelfsection and normally vertical supporting wings hinged to said shelfsection adapted to be folded inwardly and resting on said base butadapted to be folded inwardly into contact with said base when thelatter is folded against the shelf section, and a supplementarysupporting member section, rigid end plates of relatively thick fibrousmaterial fixedly secured to the respective ends of the receptacle wallsand forming closures for said receptacles and having downwardlyextending inwardly foldable transverse wing sections adapted when invertical position to rest uponsaid base and when the base is in foldedposition to be swung into engagement therewith, and a suitably locatednormally vertical supplementary supporting member intermediate of saidwings hinged to said base having means to engage the bottom walls ofsaid receptacles, and means on said bottom walls for normallymaintaining said supplementary supporting member in vertical position.

5. A knock-down display rack having a shelf section comprising a thinsheet of tough foldable fibrous material folded to form a series ofparallel receptacles in stepped relation, each I having a wide backWall, a bottom wall extending forwardly therefrom, and a front wallnarrower than the back wall extending upwardly from said bottom wall andconnected by a fold with the upper end of the contiguous back wall ofthe next lower receptacle, means permanently connecting said contiguouswalls together, a frame having inwardly foldable triangular end sectionsfor supporting said receptacles comprising horizontal reenforcing barsconnected respectively to the upper and lower ends of said

